Pass the time sipping coffee in the resplendent confines of the New York Cafe.
Boscolo Budapest was renovated in 2006 to pay homage to its original 1894 grandeur. The building's opulent spaces - replete with marble and Italian furnishings - give way to more contemporary design in the suites and the spa. Hidden in the hotel's basement, resembling a subterranean snow cave, the New York Palace's Spa is a place to indulge and soothe your travel-weary muscles.
The New York Café, the most significant and best known part of the hotel, was once the center of literary life in Budapest, attracting Europe's writers and journalists. Legend has it that writer Ferenc Molnár wanted the New York Café to stay open all night, so he threw the keys into the Danube. As you sit amid the lavishly decorated pillars, give in to your urge to write an Ode to Hot Chocolate - real chocolate with delicious Hungarian cream.
Back in present day Budapest - and a 10-minute walk from the Boscolo Budapest - you'll find Boulevard Andrássy and its prestigious shops.